On her fifth studio album, Nelly Furtado swishes through a variety of music genres from shades of reggae, electro, rock, funk and even folk. With an album release almost every three years, the Portuguese native has jumped from folk - pop to R & B and back to her folksy roots. 0

Her 2009 Latin - Grammy winning Spanish - only ‘Mi Plan’ album saw her retreat to her roots. Prior to this album, her collaboration with the Timbaland posse on 2006's multi-million selling ‘Loose’, gave her easy leverage to rein as pop diva for some time. However on this album producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins keeps the beats tight and hooks polished with an eclectic sound, but still Furtado doesn’t manage to take off, except of course on a few tracks that save the album from destruction. The reason for the poor show could be her long gap from the pop world and the deluge of new artists who have taken over the pop world. But this full English record is a welcome return from the Canadian songstress.

'The Spirit Indestructible' is not pure pop as we’d classify it, but rather it has large amounts of heavy, rattling beats and bass. The club feel is still lurking with Furtado who also gave us songs like Promiscuous, Baby Girl, to the dance hall hit Man Eater and the slow and steady I’m like a bird perfect classics still firmly etched in our mind even today.

Rodney Jerkins  brings Nas in for a cameo, and gives us a punchy hit in Big Hoops (Bigger the Better) that has a neat hook to it. On Waiting for the Night a close call to hottie Jennifer Lopez, Furtado puts in a dance element which thankfully is catchy and infectious at the first listen. Her use of the accordion is welcome, but not well synchronized to her music. On Parking Lot with shades of Hollaback Girl, Furtado leaves you confused on what melody she really is using.

Rating: ***

Reviewed By Verus Ferreira